'I'm now looking into sustainability as a career'

Tuesday 24 November 2009 12:34 BST

Plugging the gap in the recycling market: Antigone Theodoro

Antigone Theodoro, 32, has been using 'Freecycle', the recycling website, for the last three years. In June she started volunteering for them as the website moderator for the Kensington and Chelsea Borough branch, and dedicates one to two hours a day remotely checking that "all is well on the site" in between studying for her MBA at Cambridge university.

"Volunteering for Freecycle is really rewarding – and I love that it is easy to use and accessible by everybody.

"It plugs the gap in the recycling market that hadn't been filled.

"You could take your old clothes to a charity shop, but you are never quite sure what happens to them after that. Also, what do you do for the bulky items that are difficult to move? A charity shop will not take your old TV for example.

"If you are upgrading your washing machine or general home items, it is tempting to just get rid of them but on Freecycle you are giving them a fresh start with a new owner.

"I have seen people give away anything from a sofa or a car to small things like a mirror, or boxes for moving. I am just so happy that these things do not end up in the garbage bin.

"It is also reduces consumerism.not only are you offering things to give away on the site but you can also request items in the 'Wanted Section' so you are reducing waste in general.

"Some people use recycling as a guilt free way to consume even more, but the problem starts from when we consume things that we don't actually need.

"For example some people might not flinch at picking up a shopping bag from every shop, simply because they are recycling it afterwards. That doesn't really help.

"I often get emails saying "great job" keep on doing it, and I have watched the site expand massively – the Kensington and Chelsea membership has gone from 5,000 members in six months and we get around 60 posts per day.